The Art of Not Missing Out

 

Then Joshua said

            to the people,

"Consecrate yourselves,

for tomorrow the LORD

   will do wonders among you."

               Joshua 3. 5

(There are no ordinary days

without God's wonders

   seamlessly woven into it.

But where is my heart?

Joshua warns the people

   to get ready, be on the alert,

equipped, out of their ruts,

and devoted to the LORD,

   lest they miss out.

May we be aware of

     His Presence.

God is doing a work

   in our lives

   and in our midst

that we wouldn't believe

      if told.

           Habakkuk 1. 5

And He has strategically

  positioned us

  for His glory in this.

Is my heart in the right place

                to see?)

O LORD,

Realign our hearts,

reorder our loves,

sharpen our vision, 

help us get ready

      and be aware

of all You are doing

    around us

    and in us.

May we not miss Your wonders

     even in this day.

Can't Count That High

 

But we Your people,

the sheep of Your pasture,

will give thanks to You forever.

From generation

           to generation,

we will recount Your praise.

              Psalm 79. 13

(What marks our conversations?

Do our children,

grandchildren, neighbors,

co-workers hear 

and overhear praise 

    and gratefulness to God?

Or complaining and grumbling

    about circumstances?

Our words are marked

     by what we worship.

Our witness is shaped

        by what we say.)

O LORD,

Change our vocabulary

   that our gratefulness to You

is deeply engraved and passed on

from generation to generation.

Help us to

       count and recount

Your goodness, steadfast love,

    and Your wonders.

Let those words be remembered

    and resound for lifetimes to come.

May praise to You

  change the course of our lives,

in how we live

      and by how we respond to You.

Those Who Watch Us

 

One who is righteous

is a guide to his neighbor...

         Proverbs 12. 26

(Through whatever we walk through,

God is forming something new

         in us.

We are not changed by our circumstances,

           but by Him.

Yet our response also

   affects all those around us.

People are continually

watching us,

not to see if we are perfect,

    if we succeed or fail,

but how we respond

    when life is difficult.

Others want to see

          if God is real.

And to see if He makes

  a difference in us.

Yes, there is another path

    through this situation.

And a strength

          that is not ours.)

O LORD,

Help us not just to be aware

   of those around us,

but how to point them to You,

in words and deeds,

   attitudes and grace.

Empower us to live out

the reality of Your Presence

and to reveal life is different

      when we walk with You.

Please redeem our mistakes,

our wrongdoings,

our deafness to Your voice,

that we may know You more

   and guide those on our path

   to You.

Whatever, Wherever, and Among Whomever

This Book of the Law shall not

depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it

       day and night,

so that you may be careful

to do according to

    all that is written in it.

For then 

you will make your way

               prosperous,

and then

you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened,

   and do not be dismayed,

for the LORD your God

          is with you

wherever you go.

           Joshua 1. 8-9

(This is the commandment

 we all too often forget

that flavors everything we face:

       Do not be afraid.

       I am with you.

How important is God's Word

     in our lives?

When we read and absorb it daily,

it does not change circumstances,

but through it, God changes us,

how we face difficulties

and how we traverse

   what is before us.

God changes our journey through

and how we view that wilderness

     --with fear or trusting Him.

The choice boils down to

            our strength or His.

The key word here is wherever.

God brings us through.)

O LORD,

Only You know what

   we are going through.

And for that You have

       given us Your Word

and Your promise

  that You are with us.

May Your scripture

daily infiltrate everything

we face today

   and how we respond.

Help us to not miss

   the view or Your strength

along the way,

        walking with You.

 

Strength Training Program

 

He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds,

from following the nursing ewes.

He brought him to shepherd

     Jacob his people,   

     Israel his inheritance.

             Psalm 78. 70-71

(God's training ground

            in faithfulness

is not always obvious,

   nor where we want to be.

But what is God

   forming in us through this?

What purpose is there

    in this mundane work?

Eternal ones

     we cannot yet see.

God is equipping us,

  beyond what we can

  ever do on our own.

What is God doing with this?

    Strength training.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust Your

     training program,

in what You have

    put on our plates,

where You have placed us,

 and among the people

          on this path.

Complete Your work in us

and help us to serve You

   even right where we are.

Help us to grow into

      faithfulness,

present and future tense.

 

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Ready, Willing and Faithful

 

Stay dressed for action

and keep your lamps burning....

           Luke 12. 35

(Shoes double-knotted,

dressed in layers,

lunch packed,

fresh batteries in our headlamp,

ready, willing

           and faithful

for whatever God places

   before us today

or whomever is on our path.)

O LORD,

It is not that we lay our day

           before You,

but we ask that You lay

   Your day before us.

Help us to listen to You,

be attentive,

and responsive to Your nudges

and Your purposes.

Where You guide,

            You provide.

Align our hearts with Yours.

And fill our pockets with

     more grace than

     we think we need.

 

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Because We Don't Have To Be Afraid

 

Be strong and courageous.

Do not fear

   or be in dread of them,

for it is the LORD your God

    who goes with you.

He will not leave you

          or forsake you.

     Deuteronomy 31. 6

(In whatever we face,

wherever we go,

     God is with us,

and God is in this.

How does that change

how we go forth today?

Worry deflates all the tires.

Fear blocks out

        all available light.

Trust Me in this.

Always a different journey

    when we walk with Him.)

O LORD,

Hold onto us tight.

And help us to

  not just believe,

  but to know,

that You are with us.

Guide us in Your way.

Fulfill Your glory

       even in this place.

Pour Your strength over us

   and give us Your courage.

We need not fear.

We don't have to.